The Michigan baseball team had its first Big Ten series of the season over the weekend, traveling back out to California to take on the No. 1 team in the country in the UCLA Bruins. Things didn’t go well at all, with the Bruins sweeping Michigan in convincing fashion.
Game 1: UCLA 10, Michigan 5
Both teams wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, as a combined six runs were scored in the first inning alone. Michigan got things started with a two-run home run by Colby Turner, his fifth homer of the young season. But UCLA responded
with four runs on five hits in the bottom of the inning to go up 4-2.
That score held until the bottom of the fourth, when the Bruins exploded for six runs in the frame to go up 10-2. Four of their funs came in via RBI singles, and another was from a two-run double. The Wolverines had a bit of a mini comeback in the top of the ninth — an RBI groundout and two RBI singles made the scoreboard look a bit more respectable — but Michigan ultimately fell in this one by a final score of 10-5.
All 10 runs were assessed to starter Cade Montgomery, who suffered his first loss of the season. He lasted just 3.2 innings and gave up those 10 runs on 10 hits, one walk and two hit batters while striking out two. Logan Reddemann earned the win for UCLA by going six innings, giving up just two runs on six hits and no walks while striking out seven.
Game 2: UCLA 2, Michigan 0
The Bruins got off to a hot start once again, scoring two runs off Michigan starting pitcher Kurt Barr in the bottom of the first inning. The Wolverines had a stellar opportunity to score in the top of the sixth, but with the bases loaded and two outs, catcher Noah Miller struck out to end the scoring threat.
Michigan had another stellar opportunity to score in the seventh inning with two men on and just one out. Greg Pace was picked off at second base, but two more men got on to load the bases again. Unfortunately, Colby Turner flew out to end the inning.
After going 1-2-3 in the top of the eighth, Michigan had one last chance in the ninth to try and put some runs on the board. However, the Wolverines weren’t able to capitalize with two men on base and two outs, as Jonathan Kim struck out to end the game.
Michigan actually had the same amount of hits (four) as UCLA in this game and left 11 men on base. Alas, the Wolverines just couldn’t string together hits when they needed them the most and officially dropped the series with this loss.
Game 3: UCLA 7, Michigan 2
UCLA got off to a hot start once again, driving in a run via an RBI fly out to make it 1-0 after the first inning. The Bruins also had the based loaded in the second inning, but the Wolverines were able to get out of the inning unscathed thanks to a strikeout from starting pitcher Shane Brinham.
However, UCLA did one run in both the third and fourth innings, as the Bruins had another RBI fly out in the third and a solo home run by star shortstop Roch Cholowsky — one of the top MLB prospects in the upcoming draft — in the fourth. An RBI single in the fifth extended UCLA’s lead to 4-0.
The bludgeoning continued in the seventh inning, as Cholowsky hit a two-run single and Mulivai Levu hit an RBI single to give the Bruins a 7-0 advantage. However, the Wolverines finally got on the board in the top of the eighth thanks to a Colby Turner RBI walk. Elie Kligman then got hit with the bases loaded to bring in another run to make it 7-2. But that’s all Michigan could muster in the inning, and that score held throughout the rest of the game.
Up Next
The Wolverines will return to Ann Arbor to host Michigan State on Wednesday at 4 p.m., and then take on Nebraska for three games over the weekend.
